A temporary Joint Chiefs of Staff headquarters established somewhere in Seoul.
I Gangyeol trudged down into the disguised underground base.
“Loyalty.”
I Gangyeol saluted the several generals seated inside.
Among them, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff received his salute.
“Loyalty. You’ve been through a lot.”
After the President had shat the bed, the remaining high-ranking bureaucrats and military officers were joining forces, struggling against the apocalypse.
“It’s nothing. More importantly, how is Busan?”
The temporary Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff let out a sigh.
“Busan, Pohang, and the southern regions have effectively collapsed.”
He delivered the grim news.
At those words, I Gangyeol couldn’t hide his bitterness.
“The demons’ momentum is too fierce. Though our forces have grown as well.”
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff expressed his regret.
“The majority are ordinary citizens, and they have little will to fight, so it’s not exactly a good situation.”
“It can’t be helped.”
“Kangyeol, head to Daejeon for now. It’s urgent. You know they set up a munitions factory there, right?”
“Yes. I’ll hurry.”
“Yeah. I’m counting on you.”
Thinking of the Hongik Battalion, which had effectively been scattered to the winds, I Gangyeol prepared to teleport.
“I wonder how everyone is doing.”
Since it had been a unit with outstanding combat strength from the start, the platoons had been dispersed to key operational areas.
“Hah.”
Sighing, he headed toward the temporary munitions supply battalion in Daejeon.
* * *
“No. This, this isn’t it!”
Exotic appearance.
Clothes that didn’t seem to be from Earth.
Lucien Parel roughly threw the box containing magic stones.
“This isn’t the right ratio. Damn it!”
He kicked the box violently, breaking it open, and vented his anger.
“Parel.”
Lucien Bloom came to his workshop.
Parel tried to calm himself upon seeing him.
“What is it, Brother.”
“I came to see how you were faring.”
The two were brothers.
As the sole survivors of the Lucien family, the two devoted themselves to alchemy following their family’s specialty.
One distinguished himself with potions, the other with enchantments.
“If you’ve come to get on my nerves, would you mind leaving?”
“Hehe. My dear brother. If you still have the composure to mind your manners, I wish you would come out and make some potions, at least.”
“Hmph.”
He turned his head.
“That’s futile. If we spend our time making potions just to survive the moment, we’ll never win this war!”
“Parel. The Magic Tower has recommended withdrawal. Next time, it won’t be a recommendation—they’ll come to drag us out by force.”
“Damn it! Why can’t the Magic Tower and Parnia understand! If this place falls, we’re next!”
Bloom made a bitter expression.
“That’s humanity. We’ve seen it time and again. What did you expect?”
“Their will! The hope that after suffering so much, they would seek revenge, that they would improve!”
Parel had believed so.
His own family, destroyed by contemptible demons and their kind.
Parnia, a world where various races and people from different worlds who had suffered the same fate had gathered.
They had all been the same.
That was why he had believed so.
“Parnia has officially taken the position that it will not interfere in this war. They intend to wait thoroughly for the New World to arrive.”
“Damn it.”
Parel placed magic stones, spirit blood, and mithril on the workbench again.
“Parel……”
“This is the best path I’ve chosen. Brother, please trust me.”
Parel returned to his noble manner of speech.
Bloom shook his head as he watched him.
“Don’t take too long. This place is becoming dangerous too.”
Bloom left the workshop, and immediately, I Gangyeol came to visit.
“It’s been a while.”
“It’s already been two months since we last met. How is everyone?”
“Well. The dwarf is sulking because he can’t go to the battlefield. The elf is simply happy, excited because he collected some interesting samples. The cat teacher is just lazing around, and so on.”
At the succinct explanation, I Gangyeol snickered.
“They’re all the same as ever.”
“More or less. More importantly, are things alright on your end?”
“What wouldn’t be alright?”
I Gangyeol looked around, identifying the points where monsters were concentrated.
“You’re always worried about that young man, aren’t you?”
“…….”
I Gangyeol made a bitter expression.
“I just want to believe it. That he’s alive and well somewhere.”
He looked up at the sky and spoke.
“Sinhyeok. Have some consideration for those waiting. I’m about to burst.”
* * *
After I Gangyeol left.
“What is the answer?”
Parel cleaned up the messy workbench and placed magic stones and mithril on it once more.
“The ratio! The proper ratio!”
He repeated those words and pondered.
‘I’ve reached the point of solidifying magic.’
There was only one great wall remaining.
The problem of mass production.
“The right magic stones must be used. So what is that number!”
Parel choked up.
It was so frustrating to be blocked when the end seemed in sight.
He sighed and pushed aside the broken magic stones.
“If only you were here, my disciple, sir, I feel like my thoughts would open up. How is it that you’ve become my disciple without ever showing your face?”
Parel smiled as he thought of Bu Sinhyeok.
“Yes. I can’t give up.”
He couldn’t forget the bizarre and astonishing moments Bu Sinhyeok had shown him.
Moments that defied common sense.
The mysterious realm that opens when one abandons common sense.
“Alright! Let’s try again! It’ll definitely work! He showed me it was possible!”
[System upgrading]
“Hm?”
A strange message appeared.
“Why the Yggdrasil? I say, World Tree. I am not an Earthling. My conscience pricks at receiving such a blessing.”
[Upgrade complete]
[Resetting system.]
[Congratulations. You have Awakened.]
[Status Window]
Name: Lucien Parel (Lv.1)
Class: Alchemist
Strength: 5
Agility: 5
Stamina: 6
Mana: 245
Trait: Prodigy
[Skills]
=====================
[Main]
Potion Crafting (Lv.1)
5th Circle Magic (Lv.1)
=====================
“Hehe. I say. Please give this to someone other than me.”
[A new function has been updated.]
[The Knowledge Encyclopedia is now open to all users.]
[This function allows one question and answer per day.]
[Answers may vary depending on accumulated data, and on occasion, impossible answers may be given.]
“…….”
Parel’s body stiffened at the function that opened at such a serendipitous moment.
“C-can I ask a question right now?”
[You may.]
“Th-the ratio. The one made using magic stones and mithril…… W-wait, look at these blueprints and materials!”
His heart raced.
[Reading the user’s memories momentarily.]
[This memory will be stored in the Akashic Cabinet and cannot be accessed without the party’s consent.]
[Do you consent to memory sharing?]
“Read it! Read it all, I don’t care! Just give me an answer!”
[Scanning memories.]
[Identifying research ‘Magic Storage and Crystallization’ from memories.]
[……….]
Parel waited with an anxious heart.
[Presenting optimal ratio.]
[Magic Stone 10 : Mithril 2]
[Additionally proposing a new magic circle mixed with new magic to increase efficiency.]
In the air, he could see the magic circle displayed by the system, along with the magic stones and mithril evenly distributed.
[Virtual simulation result. Confirmed that through this magic circle, not only magic but also the skills of most Awakeners can be stored.]
“H-haha, hahaha……!”
Parel laughed like a madman.
Soon, he dashed outside.
“Move aside! Make way! Everyone out of the way!”
With a smiling face, Parel cleared the cluttered space.
“Wind!”
Wind howled.
The stacked supplies flew away.
“Ack! What’s with him!”
“Hey, mage! Go mad quietly, will you!”
Passersby startled and avoided him.
“Haha!”
Nevertheless, Parel paid them no mind, laughed, and crushed the magic stones with his hands.
Then he quickly began drawing the magic circle.
“It’ll work. Definitely. This is right. I can feel it!”
[Virtual results are perfect.]
“Yes! I can see it too, you rascal!”
Looking at the completed magic circle, Parel’s heart swelled.
“Parel! What the hell do you think you’re doing!”
Bloom appeared shortly after.
Parel cried out with a bright smile.
“Shoot magic at it!”
“What?”
“I said shoot magic at it!”
Bloom grabbed his head and sighed.
“Brother. Please, go mad quietly. I can’t take any more of this.”
In the end, Parel showed him directly.
“Explosion!”
Everyone startled at the explosion magic that burst from his mouth.
“Dodge!”
“That mage has finally lost it!!”
“Everyone over here! Shield!”
Bloom panicked and cast magic, but it wavered and was sucked in.
“Uh…….”
The explosion too was sucked into the center of the magic circle.
At its center floated a red stone that looked ready to burst and an empty hollow stone containing blue light.
“Brother, it worked.”
Parel picked up the two stones.
He gripped the red stone, shed blood on it, and hurled it high into the sky.
KABOOM!
A massive explosion occurred in the air.
“Damn it! Is it an enemy attack?!”
“Who is it! What’s going on?!”
“You crazy bastards!”
Startled screams and curses rang out everywhere at the sudden explosion.
It was pandemonium.
“Brother…… I’ve finally completed it.”
“A-ah, brother.”
Bloom couldn’t hide his bewilderment.
He had never imagined that the impossible would actually succeed.
Parel looked at I Gangyeol floating in the air and waved his hand.
“Are you short on troops? What do you think of this! Now we can push back the battlefield again, can we not!”
I Gangyeol showed a satisfied expression.
“Sinhyeok. You’ve done it again.”
[This function is based on the authority of the administrator of Notrasil.]
The answer to what I Gangyeol had asked was heard.
“Yes. I should do my best too. It would be embarrassing if things looked like this when he returned.”
* * *
“Hyung, what is it?”
Everyone approached with surprised expressions at the World Tree’s growth.
“It’s grown!”
Sinhyeok tapped the World Tree.
“Now it’s time to get out of here.”
At these words, I Chan’s expression brightened.
“Finally?”
“Yeah. We’ve put out the immediate fires, so to speak. From now on, let’s seriously head out.”
Of course, it wasn’t that there were no scattered problems remaining.
With the threats gone, they had to achieve self-sufficiency in a safe environment and begin proper fortification.
“There’s a lot to do, but the thing we need to do right now is that.”
He took out the broken Opsir from his inventory.
“You poor thing.”
It had been really cleanly split.
Someone must have cut it down with a single blow.
[Would you like recommended materials for repairing this golem?]
“No.”
Sinhyeok’s thoughts were heading in a different direction.
“Instead of repairing it, let’s give it new birth. With various functions added.”
[If you present your envisioned direction, we will propose appropriate blueprints.]
‘The direction I’m thinking of is……’
Sinhyeok smiled slyly.
“A ship! A spaceship that can mine resources and carry strategic weapons?”
[……….]
The Akashic Cabinet paused slightly.
“Right. While we’re at it, shall we tie the World Tree into it as one? Like a giant planetary weapon?!”
[……….]
The Akashic had been silent for a while now.
Sinhyeok glanced around cautiously.
“What. Is it impossible?”
[Insufficient accumulated data.]
[Insufficient knowledge to realize a planetary weapon.]
“But wouldn’t there be one around here?”
[Agreed.]
[In relation to that, we propose the discovery location of the Metal Slime encountered previously.]
[A spaceship was buried at that location.]
“Mm, that’s right.”
He had forgotten about it.
He had meant to check it out once.
[We recommend exploring that spaceship.]
“Since I remembered, I should go right away.”
The residents went back to enjoying the party.
I Chan was also hugging the grown World Tree tightly, seemingly pleased with it.
“I’m going out for a bit.”
“Yeah! Bring back something tasty~”
“No.”
As Sinhyeok was about to go outside, Baek Arin came running from somewhere.
“Mister, where are you going!”
“Outside.”
“Why?”
She kept sticking to his side and asking.
“Aren’t you busy? Don’t you need to replenish your holy power?”
“I’m almost at my limit now. It’s too slow, so I’m thinking of giving up. Can’t you just give me a core, mister?”
“Goodness……”
She was clearly trying to freeload.
“So where are you going?”
“You know Opsir broke last time. I’m going to try to fix it outside.”
“Oh. Then I’m coming with you.”
“Hey, just stay here.”
She didn’t give up.
Instead, she clung to Sinhyeok even more.
“I’m going. I’m bored out of my mind. Do you know how many weeks I’ve been here now? I’m sick of it!”
“Okay. Follow me for now.”